If you want to use 10 clothespins rather than 55 clothespins for a complete layout, you could turn the kites upside down, let the child draw one, and have the child attach the correct number of clothespins to the ribbon before removing the ribbons to draw the next kite.

I love that the clothespins look like kite ribbons and add a fine-motor activity at the same time.

Kite Letter Activities with Glass Gems

This tray has three activities using the Romping and Roaring Letter K Pack from 3 Dinosaurs. I used the "Follow the K Path," "Find the Letter Kk's," and "Dot the Kk's" printables. I added a number of spring-colored glass gems and a sugar tong from Montessori Services for more work on fine-motor skills.

This activity uses the Flying a Kite Word Family printable from Really Roper at Teachers Notebook. There are "op" family words in the printable as well as "ake" family words. I like that the printable uses both nonsense words and real words.

Carp Kite Craft

This activity adds a cultural element with the Carp Kite Craft printable (for Children's Day in Japan May 5) from Activity Village. For first graders, you could print out the directions (similar to the photo), add the necessary materials, and allow children to complete the craft independently.

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 38 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and baby granddaughter live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.